Hobo Slang used throughout the 1940s

Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as “Big House”, “glad rags”, “main drag”, and others.

The following list is by no means to be considered to be a complete lexicon of hobo slang, but it’s better to preserve fragments of a culture than none at all!

A Accommodation car – The caboose of a train Angelina – A young inexperienced child B Bad Road – A train line rendered useless by some hobo’s bad action or crime Banjo – (1) A small portable frying pan; (2) A short, “D” handled shovel Barnacle – A person who sticks to one job a year or more Beachcomber – A hobo who hangs around docks or seaports Big House – Prison Bindle stick – A collection of belongings wrapped in cloth and tied around a stick Bindlestiff – A hobo who carries a bindle Blowed-in-the-glass – A genuine, trustworthy individual ‘Bo – The common way one hobo referred to another: “I met that ‘Bo on the way to Bangor last spring.” Boil Up – Specifically, to boil one’s clothes to kill lice and their eggs; generally, to get oneself as clean as possible Bone polisher – A mean dog Bone orchard – A graveyard Bull – A railroad officer Bullets – Beans Buck – A Catholic priest, good for a dollar Burger – Today’s lunch C C, H, and D – Indicates an individual is Cold, Hungry, and Dry (thirsty) California blankets – Newspapers, intended to be used for bedding on a park bench Calling in – Using another’s campfire to warm up or cook Cannonball – A fast train Carrying the banner – Keeping in constant motion so as to avoid being picked up for loitering or to keep from freezing Catch the Westbound – To die Chuck a dummy – Pretend to faint Cover with the moon – Sleep out in the open Cow crate – A railroad stock car Crumbs – Lice D Docandoberry – Anything that grows on the side of a river that is edible Doggin’ it – Travelling by bus, especially on the Greyhound bus line E Easy mark – A hobo sign or mark that identifies a person or place where one can get food and a place to stay overnight Elevated – Under the influence of drugs or alcohol F Flip – To board a moving train Flop – A place to sleep, by extension, “Flophouse”, a cheap hotel G Glad rags – One’s best clothes Graybacks – Lice Grease the track – To be run over by a train Gump – A chicken H Honey dipping – Working with a shovel in the sewer Hot – (1) A fugitive hobo; (2) A decent meal: “I could use three hots and a flop” Hot Shot – A train with priority freight, stops rarely, goes faster; synonym for “Cannonball” J Jungle – An area off a railroad where hobos camp and congregate Jungle buzzard – A hobo or tramp who preys on his own K Knowledge bus – A school bus used for shelter M Maeve – A young hobo usually a girl Main drag – The busiest road in a town Moniker / Monica – A nickname Mulligan – A type of community stew, created by several hobos combining whatever food they have or can collect N Nickel note – A five-dollar bill O On the fly – Jumping a moving train P Padding the hoof – To travel by foot Possum belly – To ride on the roof of a passenger car (one must lie flat, on his/her stomach, to avoid being blown off) Pullman – A railroad sleeper car; most were made by George Pullman company Punk any young kid R Reefer – A compression or “refrigerator car” Road kid – A young hobo who apprentices himself to an older hobo in order to learn the ways of the road Road stake – She small amount of money a hobo may have in case of an emergency Rum dum – A drunkard S Sky pilot – A preacher or minister Soup bowl – A place to get soup, bread and drinks Snipes – Cigarette butts “sniped” (e.g., in ashtrays) Spare biscuits – Skipping for food Stemming – Panhandling or begging along the streets T Tokay blanket – Drinking alcohol to stay warm Y Yegg – A travelling professional thief or burglar